A miscellaneous blog about whatever pops into my mind …

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I have written a few times on this blog but evidently I have done some thing wrong because it doesn’t always show up…I need some one to actually show me what to do and always have, some times more than once before I actually get the hang of it ….not sure if I have OCDC or some thing like that but I have made it for over 59 years plus with a little help from my friends and enemies…….( can’t even spell right any more) and that was always my strongest area ….I have gone from working originally one part time job at age 12 to working 1 full time job and 3 part time jobs ( a total of about 100 hours a week) for about 18 years….and then only 80 for a while along with my volunteer work all the time too….I was President of South Fayette township Kiwanis club– 3 seperate times and on the board of the Greater Pittsburgh School for the Blind located in Oakland, Pittsburgh…and the Guild for the Blind which was located in Bridgeville, Pa.—I donated many hours to The Richard S.Caligiuri Great Race in Pittsburgh, Pa, both the main race and the children’s race which is run the week before the regular race and the Pittsburgh Marathon later in the year. I would also donate my time to the National Aviary and the Childrens Festival –on North Side of Pittsburgh along with Pittsburgh 3 Rivers Regatta and when seperate also the July 4th celebration in Point Park ….I also donated time to the Greater Pittsburgh YMCA including the annual “Turkey Trot” race every Thanksgiving day and the Race of the Monsters on North side on Halloween eve every year along with their “Pub Crawl”and the Monoply Game in the Steel Tower(UPMC) building….I have also donated many hours with the “Pittsburgh Irish Festival” not only during their week long event in September every year but also during the year at their Christmas gift wrapping at Station Square and etc. I have been a representative in the past of “First Night Pittsburgh” at many parades and celebrations through out the area all year long bringing attention to celebrating New Years Eve and the grand family friendly alcohol free festivities that go on downtown every New Years Eve which continues to grow larger every year….I have been a democratic committeeman for my district in the past and ran unsuccessfully for township commissioner. I feel that I have given plenty to my community and while doing so I always feel better than when I sit here not being able to. I love the United States of America and will continue to try and make it a better place to live and work…..but I feel like my time is coming when I have to pass on my legacy…..I just hope that I have made things better than when I a kid……

Well this is May 18th, 2016 and yesterday I received partially good news after my doctor –Dr. Fasanella– did another ablasion therapy endoscopy and biopsy on my esophugas and stomach at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh. He told me that when in the process of visually screening the endoscopy, that it seemed to look as if it was healing rather well and better than expected, but that he would have to wait for the results of the biopsy before saying for sure. I mis-understood him when he said that he thought my cancer was 90-95% gone in being that he only meant the cancer in my esophugas and not my stomach cancer. Oh, well I am still and will remain positive in my thoughts and will kick the rest of it too.

Well —this has been an eventful kind of week —at least for me. My aide was involved in a rear end collision on Monday morning while she was on her way to my home. Needless to say she wasn’t able to come that day. She had very light damage to the back of her car and very little physical damage to her self, just slightly sore neck.

The owner of her company was supposed to come to my home on Monday and didn’t show up either. She was able to come on Tuesday though. She wasn’t very active but was at least good company for me. I am still adjusting to having some one around during the day after not having any one here for over 8 years.It is taking some getting use to. I received a call from her boss on Wednesday apologizing for not coming on Tuesday and stating that he would like to come on Thursday. I told him that our appointment was for Monday and he apologized for that too. He said that he would be here between 10 and 12 on Thursday and Thursday morning he called at 9 am and said he was on my road and couldn’t find my house. It actually turned out that he was on the wrong road. My aide was supposed to be here at 9 and was running late herself. He was actually just around the hill and showed up at 9:15. This company sure seems to be a little unorganized. My aide showed up at 9:30 while he was here. He asked me in front of her if I was happy with her and if she was always being prompt. I said usually but evidently not today, since she was supposed to be here at 9. He didn’t have a response for that one. It turned out he wanted me to sign a few papers for the service they were providing me and one stating how pleased I am with their service so far—really stretching that one.

The rest of the week went pretty smooth until late yesterday when the Executive Director of the service coordinating company showed up on my door step unexpectedly and needed me to sign a few more papers to renew my services. She is from the opposite side of the state and only comes to town once a month. I have been trying to reach her by phone for 2 weeks and have not been able to. I actually gave her a piece of my mind about that. She promised to do a better job of returning my calls. She also told me that she is doing her best to expedite my case so that I will receive every thing that I need in a more timely manner. I told her that I will give her one more quarter and then seek services elsewhere. Hopefully things will work out better from now on. I always try to think positive.

It has been an adventurous week for me.While I do not claim to be a perfect writer or author I do like to write at times. I started this week with an aide coming in to help me with my daily activities that are supposedly to risky for me to do on my own or without supervision. I feel kind of stupid and/or embarrassed to need some one here but my doctors say it is a good idea. It has been a very hard time in finding an aide that is any good, most of them are lazy or druggies that just want my medication for free or only want to spend an hour and get paid for 6…..or all the above at once.

My aide that had been coming for about the last 2 weeks walked out Monday morning after being here for about 20 minutes telling me that she was going to McDonald’s and would be right back. After about an hour I kind of got the feeling that she wasn’t coming back especially since McDonald’s is only 5 minutes away. I was kind of glad she left and wasn’t coming back because I was tired of listening how hard she worked at her other job and how she had an earache for the last 5 days and how she needed quartizone shots in her feet but didn’t have the money to pay for it. She only decided to leave when I had gone into the other room and (I think) she realized that I had moved my pain medication from the kitchen table where it had been since she started with me into my computer room. Could have been just a coincidence but I kind of doubt it.

Cutting to the chase any way –my UPMC health concierge nurse just happened to call about an hour after Tracy had left and asked how she was working out. I told her that Tracy had left a little over an hour before saying that she would be back shortly and had not returned and she said that is not right and she would look into it –that was around 10:30. I received a phone call from Tracy’s boss at about 2:30 saying that she just got news that Tracy had left and wasn’t coming back because I asked her to do to much.(meanwhile I hadn’t asked her to do anything because she had fallen asleep while we were talking) that morning. Needless to say I had no one here Tuesday even though they tried to find some one last minute.

On Wednesday I had an aide that is a fantastic woman but she has a 2 hour drive (she said) to get to my place. She called me at the time she was supposed to be here and asked if I would like to go out for breakfast instead of eating at home and that she would buy—of course I said I would but would have to get ready real quick….she was only 5 minutes away so I rushed to get my jeans on instead of my sweat pants……and we went to Papa Gallo’s for breakfast—–great breakfast, very tasty but very slow service ….took 15 minutes to get coffee and order and another 30 to get our food after ordering…and the place wasn’t very busy….way overpriced though—$10.00 for 2 egg omelette and extra $2 for toast….no meat included. Linda is a fantastic person and when we got back to my place she never stopped working, she cleaned things I swear didn’t need cleaning.

The next day I had my new steady aide show up. Her name is LLana–not sure if I spelled it right. She is very young but is very nice and energetic. Always looking for some thing to keep her busy. I like her a lot. Together we accomplished a lot in 2 days of being here. I am looking forward to having her around for some time to come.

It has been around 2 months now that I have supposedly had a daily aid…..and by supposedly I mean that they have been here about half of the days and the days they were here they were mostly late and left early…..but wanted paid for the full time they were supposed to be here. I think my blood pressure has gone up drastically by having them around. It might be about time to fire them all.

Well another long day and another problem. My computer is acting up and not sending things to the monitor.Some times it works and other times it doesn’t. It all started yesterday morning after 3 days in a row around 6 in the morning the power went off and back on rather quickly.

My aid showed up 40 minutes late today and then just sat there because she didn’t feel very good….I asked her if she had a hangover and she said she doesn’t drink. After about an hour I made her drive me to the library –about a half mile–so I could use the computer there. I ordered a new computer (HP) from Best Buy and made her drive me the 10 miles to Robinson Town Center to pick it up. As soon as we got back to my house she said she was leaving for the day even though she was supposed to here for another 2 hours. On the way from Best Buy to my house she asked me about my pain pills that I have sitting on my kitchen table, and then started telling me she has no insurance and can’t get any pain pills for her bone spurs in her feet. I ended up feeling bad for her and gave her 2 pills.

When I started to dis-assemble my old computer it started to work fine again so I am making this blog post on my old computer.

I am a 59 year old guy that is new to this —I used to keep a daily journal but have not added to it for the last couple years.I have never been much of a writer even though I had journalism as minor in college. I always wanted to write a book, The Story of My Life.